FOSTER CITY, Calif., Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) announced today the North American launch of LittleBigPlanet™ for PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita). Developed by Tarsier Studios and Double Eleven Studios, in conjunction with award-winning Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita brings the premiere Play, Create, Share franchise to the portable entertainment system with a brand new adventure for Sackboy™. Built specifically for PS Vita, players can enjoy a whole new story to explore and Play, innovative tools to Create any type of game imaginable, and the ability to Share and access what promises to be endless levels and games online via PlayStation®Network, all while using PS Vita's powerful features to interact with the world of LittleBigPlanet like never before.

"LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita continues to bring its revolutionary concept to consumers of all ages, putting the powers of creation firmly in the players' hands," said Guy Longworth, Senior Vice President, PlayStation Brand Marketing, SCEA. "Built specifically for PlayStation Vita, this completely new adventure allows players to interact with Sackboy and the world around him like never before, whether you're at home or on the road."

With more than 45 new story levels and games to play across six themes, LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita features a host of new characters, all set on the fairground planet of Carnivalia, where a mysterious Puppeteer is stealing all of the joy from Craftworld. Players must travel through a series of themed levels in a storyline driven adventure packed with thrills, spills, and hilarious moments to foil the Puppeteer's evil plans and bring fun and laughter back to Carnivalia.

Through the power of PlayStation Vita, users now have brand new ways to interact with the world of LitleBigPlanet using the touch (front, rear, multi-touch) and tilt features, as well as the location-based "near" functionality to find other players in your vicinity and challenge them to beat your score for a particular level or game. You can also share the fun with friends through new multiplayer modes, including local same screen versus and online multiplayer for up to four players.

Using the power of PS Vita's touch controls, players can now Create any kind of game they can imagine in a more natural and fun way. They will have access to tools from LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet™ 2, LittleBigPlanet™ for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), existing DLC packs, plus new tools specific to PS Vita. Creators can manipulate multiple objects at once by using the new lasso select feature and quickly pan and zoom the camera through the rear touch screen. Using the front touch screen, players can quickly navigate Popit pages, access tools, costumes, and stickers in Popit, and expand Popit so it can cover the whole screen, allowing easier navigation and viewing of the inventory. Users also have access to touch material that, when used, allows the object to automatically be interacted with through the front and rear touch panels, a built-in microphone to record sound effects or voice over for levels and games, and front or rear cameras to create their own stickers.

New and powerful tools such as a Memorizer enables creators to save pieces of data that will allow them to create experiences that have been unachievable on any previous LittleBigPlanet games! Examples of such creations include: custom save points for players to continue a level without losing progress, level select menus where the next level is only unlocked if the previous level was completed, mini-games that can display a new map every time the level restarts, RPG's complete with inventories that are persistent between levels, and much, much more!

Lastly, LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita provides access to what promises to be endless levels and games created and shared online by the community so fans can enjoy new gaming experiences every day. No matter where they are, users can browse and download created levels for offline play. Players can also access previously purchased DLC costumes. Through Cross-Goods, you only need to purchase a costume once to wear it across LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, and LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita.

LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita is a creative gaming experience that offers local multiplayer (same screen) and online gaming for up to four players. It has an ESRB rating of "E" for Everyone. For more information about the ESRB, visit www.esrb.org. For more information about the LittleBigPlanet franchise, visit www.littlebigplanet.com.

About the LittleBigPlanet™ Franchise
Since its release on PlayStation®3 (PS3™) in October 2008, LittleBigPlanet™ has been credited with establishing the Play, Create, Share creative gaming genre by putting the powers of creation firmly in the players' hands. It has been widely praised and critically acclaimed with more than 80 industry awards worldwide, 15 of which have been for Game of the Year categories, with awards ranging from the top gaming critics to prestigious organizations such as the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) and The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The franchise continues to grow and evolve helped by on-going expansion through downloadable content and the support of countless fans around the globe who have uploaded more than seven million user-created levels to PlayStation®Network since launch. Put another way, if you placed all of the current user-generated levels and games side by side, they would wrap round the Earth five times, reach halfway to the Moon, and it would take Sackboy™ 18 years to run through them all!

About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® systems, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system, the PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) portable entertainment system and its online and network services the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2, PSP, PSPgo, PS3 and PS Vita systems for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC serves as headquarters for all North American operations.
Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com.